Fun Facts:

Many Odessa residents have gone on to become famous. See the complete list to your right.

Odessa’s main industry is oil production.

Odessa is home to three higher education institutions.

Odessa is home to two high schools.

The book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by author H. G. Bissinger and subsequent movie (Friday Night Lights) are based on the 1988 football season of the Permian Panthers, one of the two high school football teams in Odessa. Many of the characters mentioned in the book still reside in Odessa (as of January 2007).

A TV show, also by the name Friday Night Lights, aired from 2006 to 2011. It is loosely based on the book and movie but takes place in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas.

A reality series on the TV Guide Channel followed the reporters of the local CBS affiliate, KOSA-TV. The show was titled Making News: Texas Style.

A portion of the Tommy Lee Jones film The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada was filmed in Odessa.

The truTV reality show Black Gold is based on three oil wells outside of Odessa, as well as some locations in Odessa, such as the local Hooters restaurant.

Odessa is used as the hometown setting for Claire Bennett and her family in Season 1 of the NBC show Heroes. The show Heroes is responsible for giving Odessa another famous catch phrase, "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World".

Odessa is home to the second largest meteor crater in the nation.

Odessa is home to the World's Largest Jackrabbit.

Odessa is the home of the World Famous Odessa Chuck Wagon Gang.

Odessa History

Odessa , Texas was established in 1881 as a stop on the Texas and Pacific Railroads. It has been said that Odessa’s name originated from an area that resembled our region around the Russian city in Ukraine named Odessa . The unsurpassed beauty of the West Texas sunsets and a climate that is warm and inviting make this uncommon city a true paradise. Odessa is also well known for its hospitality, and people with deep appreciation of colorful past and enthusiasm for a future rich with possibilities. Odessa is a city where cowboys, culture, oil and everything in between bring visitors a flavor so delicious it can only be described as “A City of Contrasts.”

Odessa is located in Ector County

Approximately midway between Ft. worth and El Paso , covering an area of 35.04 square miles. This area is called the Permian Basin. The Permian Basin is approximately 250 mile wide and 300 miles long. The basin was formed during the Permian Period, the final portion of the Paleozoic Era approximately 280 million years ago. A shallow sea, known as the Permian Sea , which was densely populated with life, once covered the Permian Basin . As the ocean dried up, the decaying plants and animals eventually helped form the gigantic pools of oil and gas that are still being taken from the basin. Three of the state’s major land resources meet here- the High Plains, Trans Pecos and Edward’s Plateau.

Located in a region where the Comanche Indians

Once roamed, Odessa ’s history as a settlement can be traced to the 1881 extension of the Texas and Pacific Railway across the south plains and the need to provide water for the steam engines. The availability of cheap land encouraged settlers to the area from 1879 to 1885. The first ranchers arrived in 1885, but it was the railroad that made Odessa vital to the cattle industry. By the mid 1890’s Odessa was an established cattle shipping center.

When oil was discovered in 1926

The destiny of the community took a different course. This discovery brought people of varied interests and occupations to the area, and the local economy began to change from a ranching base into an industrial one.

Today, Odessa is alive and thriving, although oil and gas still remain our largest industry the city has begun to diversify. Odessa is quickly being recognized as a major health industry hub with three hospitals, a cancer center and several medical specialists in the area.